News

Disappointing news for fans of Apple TV+'s small-screen take on Time Bandits here, as the streamer has decided not to move forward with a second season.

Deadline broke the news, which comes almost a month after the 10-episode first season of the family-friendly sci-fi comedy series ended its run.

Despite mostly positive reviews, (the series earned a pretty decent 78% on Rotten Tomatoes), Time Bandits did not attract enough viewers, and even though Apple TV+ does not share viewership data, the fact that the show was unable to crack Nielsen's Top 10 streaming rankings clearly factored into the streamer's decision not to renew it for a sophomore season.

We got word that Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi and frequent collaborator Jemaine Clement were in the process of developing a reimagining of Terry Gilliam's '80s sci-fi classic back in 2022, with Friends alum Lisa Kudrow set to star.

Adventure awaits in Time Bandits, Apple TV+‘s 10-episode fantasy dramedy, based on the 1981 family flick, from What We Do in the Shadows duo Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement. Misunderstood Kevin Haddock (Kal-El Tuck), an 11-year-old history nerd, gets wrapped up in the escapades of wacky time-traveling outlaws—led by the hilariously arrogant Penelope (Lisa Kudrow)—when they step through a trans-temporal portal into Kevin’s bedroom. Penelope and her thieving gang are planning their first heist while on the run from their former employer, the Supreme Being. The series also stars Tadhg Murphy (Conversations with Friends), Roger Jean Nsengiyumva (You Don’t Know Me), Rune Temte (Eddie the Eagle), Charlyne Yi (Knocked Up), Rachel House (Heartbreak High), Kiera Thompson (Martyrs Lane), James Dryden (Ready Player One), Felicity Ward (The Office Australia), Francesca Mills (Harlots), and Imaan Hadchiti (Thor: Love and Thunder). Together, Kevin and the Bandits will marvel at Stonehenge...

Back in 2022, we got word that Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi and frequent collaborator Jemaine Clement were in the process of developing a reimagining of Terry Gilliam's '80s sci-fi classic Time Bandits for Apple TV+ with Friends alum Lisa Kudrow set to star.

Now, following a recent preview image spotlighting the new team, the first trailer has been released.

The series is described as "a comedic journey through time and space with a ragtag group of thieves and their newest recruit: an eleven-year-old history nerd," and based on this teaser, we will be revisiting quite a few locations and characters from Gilliam's film.

Kudrow will lead a cast that also includes Kal-El Tuck (Unseeing Evil), Charlyne Yi (Knocked Up), Tadhg Murphy (Conversations With Friends), Roger Jean Nsengiyumva (You Don’t Know Me), Rune Temte (Eddie the Eagle), Kiera Thompson (Martyrs Lane) and Rachel House (Heartbreak High...

Back in 1981, director Terry Gilliam and his Monty Python cohort Michael Palin brought the world the cult classic fantasy adventure film Time Bandits – and now, Thor: Ragnarok and Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi has teamed with his frequent collaborators Jemaine Clement and Iain Morris to create an Apple TV+ series version of Time Bandits. The first two episodes of the ten-episode first season will premiere on Wednesday, July 24th… and with that date right around the corner, a trailer for the show has arrived online. You can check it out in the embed above.

The two episode premiere will be followed by two new episodes every Wednesday through August 21st.

Produced for Apple TV+ by Paramount Television Studios, Anonymous Content’s AC Studios, and MRC, Time Bandits is an unpredictable journey through time and space with a ragtag group of thieves and their newest recruit: an 11-year-old history buff named Kevin.

Today, Apple TV+ debuted the trailer for the upcoming live-action comedic adventure Time Bandits, the first-ever television adaptation of the beloved cult classic movie by the same name.

The series was created for television by Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords), Iain Morris (The Inbetweeners), and Taika Waititi (Reservation Dogs) and produced for Apple TV+ by Paramount Television Studios, Anonymous Content’s AC Studios, and MRC.

Time Bandits is an unpredictable journey through time and space with a ragtag group of thieves and their newest recruit: an 11-year-old history buff named Kevin. Together, they set out on a thrilling quest to save the boy’s parents — and the world.

The 10-episode series will premiere globally with the first two episodes on Wednesday, July 24, followed by two new episodes every Wednesday through August 21, 2024.

Guided by Lisa Kudrow, the eccentric crew of bandits embark on epic adventures while evil forces threaten their...

If you could travel through time, who would you want to meet? Pirates? Neanderthals? Pure Evil? Well, with “Time Bandits,” you’ll meet them all — and Jemaine Clement even plays the latter.

Based on the 1981 Terry Gilliam film of the same name, Apple TV+’s new series sends young Kevin (Kal-El Tuck) on an adventure through time when he discovers that his bedroom is actually a “time egress.” That means that Penelope (Lisa Kudrow) and her gang of bandits can use it as a bit of a waystation while traveling through time to steal major artifacts.

According to Penelope, “nothing is too big for us to steal” — except maybe the Trojan horse. Along with Kevin the Time Bandits work together to save his parents, all while stealing the best items they can get their hands on throughout history.

You can watch the first trailer for “Time Bandits” in the video above.

An 11-year-old history buff named Kevin finds a time egress in his wardrobe in Time Bandits, the first-ever television adaptation of the cult classic movie of the same name that’s in the works for Apple.

Created by Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords), Iain Morris (The Inbetweeners) and Taika Waititi (Reservation Dogs), Time Bandits will premiere globally with the first two episodes on July 24, followed by two new episodes every Wednesday through August 21.

Guided by Lisa Kudrow, the crew of bandits embark on epic adventures while evil forces threaten their conquests, and life as they know it. As the group transports through time and space, the gang stumbles upon fascinating worlds of the distant past while seeking out treasure, depending on Kevin to shed light on each situation. The “Time Bandits” witness the creation of Stonehenge, see the Trojan Horse in action, escape dinosaurs in the prehistoric ages, wreak havoc during medieval times,...

Terry Gilliam’s “Time Bandits” is stepping into the present day.

The long-awaited Apple TV+ series adaptation will officially debut Wednesday, July 24 on the streaming platform, with Lisa Kudrow leading the ensemble cast which includes co-creators Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi.

The 10-episode series centers on an “unpredictable journey through time and space with a ragtag group of thieves and their newest recruit: an 11-year-old history buff named Kevin. Together, they set out on a thrilling quest to save the boy’s parents — and the world,” per the official synopsis.

“What We Do in the Shadows” alums Clement and Taika Waititi co-created the series with Iain Morris. The series spans the creation of Stonehenge, the infamous Trojan Horse, battling dinosaurs, venturing into medieval times, experiencing the Ice Age, and the Harlem Renaissance, among other time-traveling detours to find treasure.

Along with Kudrow, the cast includes Kal-El Tuck (“Unseeing Evil”), Tadhg Murphy...

Back in 2022, we got word that Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi and frequent collaborator Jemaine Clement were in the process of developing a reimagining of Terry Gilliam's '80s sci-fi classic Time Bandits for Apple TV+ with Friends alum Lisa Kudrow set to star.

Now, we finally have a first look at the series thanks to EW's summer TV preview.

Kudrow will lead a cast that also includes Kal-El Tuck (Unseeing Evil), Charlyne Yi (Knocked Up), Tadhg Murphy (Conversations With Friends), Roger Jean Nsengiyumva (You Don’t Know Me), Rune Temte (Eddie the Eagle), Kiera Thompson (Martyrs Lane) and Rachel House (Heartbreak High).

Though specific plot details are still under wraps, the series is described as "a comedic journey through time and space with a ragtag group of thieves and their newest recruit: an eleven-year-old history nerd."

Kudrow is playing the team's leader Penelope; with Tuck as Kevin...

The “Time Bandits” TV series at Apple from Taika Waititi has found its main cast, Variety has learned.

Joining the series are: Lisa Kudrow as Kevin; Charlyne Yi as Judy; Tadhg Murphy as Alto; Roger Jean Nsengiyumva as Widgit; Rune Temte as Bittelig; Kiera Thompson as Saffron; and Rachel House as Fianna.

The official description of the 10-episode series describes it as “a comedic journey through time and space with a ragtag group of thieves and their newest recruit: an eleven-year-old history nerd (Tuck).”

Kudrow is repped by CAA, Viewpoint and Gochman Law Group. Tuck is repped by rebel nineteen.

Yi is repped by Global Artists Agency, manager Gladys Gonzalez and Ginsburg Daniels Kallis. Murphy is repped by Susannah Norris Agency. Nsengiyumva is repped by United Agents.

Temte is repped by Actors in Scandinavia, in the US by Artist International, and Jackoway Austen. Thompson is repped by Cvgg. House is repped by Lion Rock Management.

Hello, everyone! This week’s horror and sci-fi home media release slate is a rather small one, as we only have five different titles headed to Blu-ray and DVD today. With that in mind, May 3rd’s home media lineup includes Kandisha and Martyrs Lane from Rlje Films, Dinosaur World on Blu-ray and DVD from Shout Factory, Female Werewolf, and Yokai.

Dinosaur World

A deadly game. A life-changing prize. When a group of contestants come together to take part in a competition held in a virtual reality realm ruled by dinosaurs, shifting alliances and jockeying for victory become secondary to the ultimate goal: to survive at all costs. Welcome to Dinosaur World…an eye-popping place where anything can happen…and the life-and-death stakes are all too real.

Female Werewolf

Lost in a fever of sexual delirium, a mentally unstable woman (Carrie Gemmell) begins to believe she may be turning into a monster.

Variety Director to Watch Prano Bailey-Bond (“Censor”) and BAFTA-nominated “After Love” filmmaker Aleem Khan are among the 39 filmmakers longlisted in the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) new talent categories.

The 39 longlisted filmmakers will be invited to join BIFA’s Springboard scheme, a tailored program of professional development, peer-to-peer support, mentoring, networking and skills enhancement aimed to nurture emerging talent as they build on the success of their first features.

The final five nominations in each category will be announced on Nov. 3. Winners will be revealed at the ceremony on Dec. 5.

The longlists:

The Douglas Hickox Award

(Best Debut Director)

Aleem Khan – “After Love”

Matt Chambers – “The Bike Thief”

Prano Bailey-Bond – “Censor”

Jonathan Butterell – “Everybody’s Talking About Jamie”

Sonita Gale – “Hostile”

Jack Clough – “People Just Do Nothing: Big In Japan”

Reggie Yates – “Pirates”

Celeste Bell “Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché” [also Directed By Paul Sng]

Corinna Faith – “The Power”

Charlotte Colbert – “She Will...

The latest Talk is held in partnership with the Dinard Festival of British Film.

The latest in our series of ScreenDaily Talks will discuss the rise of genre filmmaking in the UK by women directors.

Filmmakers such as Corinna Faith (The Power), Prano Bailey Bond (Censor), Ruth Platt (Martyrs Lane), Ruth Paxton (The Banquet), Romola Garai (Amulet) and Rose Glass (Saint Maud) are playing with horror and genre tropes to probe a series of female-led issues and garnering arthouse plaudits as they do so.

The Talk will explore what is driving the flare in female genre filmmaking, the local and international market for these films,...

(Welcome to The Daily Stream, an ongoing series in which the /Film team shares what they've been watching, why it's worth checking out, and where you can stream it.)

The Movie: "Martyrs Lane"

Where You Can Stream It: Shudder

The Pitch: Ten-year-old Leah (Kiera Thompson) lives with her increasingly distant mother Sarah (Denise Gough) in a massive vicarage filled with various souls in varying stages of survival. During the day, the place is jumping with parishioners giving and receiving support; come nightfall, the nooks and crannies of the household make for ample hiding spots for figments of Leah's imagination. Or are they? Every evening, Leah is visited by a tiny,...

The post The Daily Stream: Martyrs Lane Haunts with Heart appeared first on /Film.

Ruth Platt’s fairytale of fusty parish England is subtle, highly atmospheric and illuminated by surprising love and care

Leah (Kiera Thompson) feels like a stranger in her own house. Home for the 10-year-old is a Victorian vicarage, but it is not a place of comfort. Her morose mum Sarah (Denise Gough) berates her when she comes back with a cake from the parishioners; her dad Thomas (Steven Cree) is constantly busy with his flock. Snatches of distraught parental conversation seem to lodge in the house’s nooks. Leah is fixated with a golden locket her mother always wears, and she starts feeling flashes of a ghostly presence near the windows. Then a ringletted little girl with lopsided angel wings (Sienna Sayer) begins visiting her every night. Huddled under bedsheets, the pair play a game, Two Truths One Lie, bound to produce revelations.

This is a supernatural mystery set in...

Martyrs Lane will stream exclusively to Shudder on September 9 in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, as well as via the Shudder offering within the AMC+ bundle where available.

Check out this clip:

In this unsettling ghost story, Leah, 10, lives in a large, old house with her family but can’t quite work out why her mother seems so distant. At night she is visited by a mysterious guest, who might be able to give her some answers. With a new challenge every night, Leah is rewarded with bits of knowledge that, when pieced together, threaten to shine a dangerous light on both the truth in her nightmares and of the world she lives in.

Written and directed by Ruth Platt, and expanded from her 2019 short film by the same name, Martyrs Lane is a deeply personal film that explores love and grief through a dark and captivating ghost story.

Severin Films Reveals Trailer And VOD Release Date For Kier-la Janisse’S Award-winning Festival Hit Woodlands Dark And Days Bewitched: A History Of Folk Horror: "Severin Films is proud to finally bring the debut feature film from Kier-La Janisse (author of “House of Psychotic Women”) to VOD platforms on October 26th, just in time for Halloween. The film will continue to play festival dates and theatrical bookings throughout Autumn.

Woodlands Dark And Days Bewitched explores the folk horror phenomenon from its beginnings in a trilogy of films - Michael Reeves' Witchfinder General (1968), Piers Haggard's Blood on Satan's Claw (1971) and Robin Hardy's The Wicker Man (1973) - through its proliferation on British television in the 1970s and its culturally specific manifestations in American, Asian, Australian and European horror, to the genre's revival over the last decade. Touching on over 100 films and featuring over 50 interviewees, Woodlands Dark And Days Bewitched investigates the...

Television networks are unveiling slates of Halloween-themed content including new and classic horror films, reality competition shows, live specials and more.

Among this year’s programming options is Freeform’s annual “31 Nights of Halloween,” with up to 10 films a day including many family favorites from “Shrek” to “Casper,” plus an in-person event in Los Angeles called Freeform’s Halloween Road. Additionally, horror streaming service Shudder has kicked off “61 Days of Halloween,” with weekly film and series premieres, 24-hour jack-o-lantern stream “The Ghoul Log” and a “Halloween Hotline” where every Friday in October, subscribers can call Shudder’s head of programming Samuel Zimmerman to discuss horror favorites and receive new recommendations.

Read a full list of Halloween programming below. (More programming will be added to the list as networks announce titles.)

“Superhost” – As travel vloggers Teddy (Osric Chau) and Claire (Sara Canning) notice their internet fame dwindling, they pivot from sharing...

Hello, everyone! Hard to believe it, but September is nearly upon us, which means we have a brand new month of Digital and VOD premieres to look forward to as we gear up for this year’s Halloween season. For all you James Wan fans out there, the wait to see Malignant is almost over, as his latest horror film will arrive on HBO Max on September 10th, and for the fans who have been anxiously awaiting more horror from Mike Flanagan, Midnight Mass will be making its way to Netflix on September 24th. Arrow is set to debut Jumbo exclusively on their platform tomorrow, and Shudder has a trio of exclusive films headed to their service throughout September as well: Simon Barrett’s Seance, Martyrs Lane, and Superhost from Brandon Christensen.

Check out the full rundown of all the digital debuts happening over the next few weeks, as there...

Martyrs Lane Trailer — Ruth Platt‘s Martyrs Lane (2021) movie trailer has been released by Shudder. The Martyrs Lane trailer stars Denise Gough, Steven Cree, Anastasia Hille, Hannah Rae, Kiera Thompson, Sienna Sayer, Donna Banya, Catherine Terris, Charlie Rix, Julie Barclay, and Lianne Harvey. Crew Ruth Platt wrote the screenplay for Martyrs Lane. Anne Müller [...]

Continue reading: Martyrs Lane (2021) Movie Trailer: A Mysterious Guest Gives a 10-year Old Girl Clues to the Truth in Her Nightmares...

Korean director Hong Eui-jeong’s debut feature “Voice of Silence” stood out at Montreal’s Fantasia Film Festival as the year’s best film from its Cheval Noir main competition section. The film, about two men who clean up after an organized crime organization, has enjoyed an impressive international festival run, having built up strong buzz as a project when it was selected to Venice’s Biennale College Cinema program in 2016.

“In a film festival that’s known as a melting pot of genres, ‘Voice of Silence’ feels like an excellent representative for the top prize in the Cheval Noir section. It’s earnest and sincere in tone but also unpredictable and experimental, impossible to pin down, and truly idiosyncratic,” said the jury in a statement accompanying the announcement.

Basque filmmaker Igor Legarreta was honored as the year’s best director for his sophomore effort “All the Moons,” a 19th...

Yoo Ah-in (Voice Of Silence), Zelda Adams (Hellbender) win acting prizes.

EuiJeong Hong’s South Korean thriller Voice Of Silence has won the 25th anniversary edition Fantasia International Film Festival’s Cheval Noir award for best film.

Hong’s film follows a mute low-level gangster tasked with taking charge of an 11-year-old kidnapped girl from a wealthy family. The jury described Voice Of Silence as “impossible to pin down, and truly idiosyncratic. Put simply, it’s unlike anything we’d seen before”.

Juried awards

In other Cheval Noir awards Yoo Ah-in who plays the mute man won best actor while...

Ghost stories have been a staple of the horror genre since its inception. It’s the fact that these films deal with an enemy unseen that frightens many and has kept these stories around for so long. But how many ways can you tell a ghost story? They can all be similar, but it’s even more frightening when the film involves children. What makes kids, kids – their innocence and trust-worthiness – makes them unaware of the dangers that are out there. Ruth Platt’s Martyrs Lane centers on two children and their friendship, one dead and one living. It's a ghost story mixed with fairy tale elements to emphasize how children see the world differently – until it turns dark. Built upon Platt’s short film of the same name, Martyrs Lane explores love and grief through the lens of a captivating and unsettling haunting, with many secrets to uncover.

A...

Quake Enhanced Trailer: "Announced today during QuakeCon at Home, in celebration of 25 years since the release of the dark fantasy first-person shooter, an enhanced version of the original Quake is available today on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Game Pass for console and PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and backward compatible on Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5. Native Xbox Series X|S and PS5 versions bringing native 4K at 120 Fps will be available soon as a free upgrade.

The Original Quake, Enhanced

Experience the authentic, updated, and visually enhanced version of the original Quake.

Featuring resolutions up to 4K and widescreen resolution support, enhanced models, dynamic and color lightning, anti-aliasing, depth of field, and the original soundtrack and theme song by Trent Reznor. There has never been a better time to relive or experience Quake for the first time.

Online, Cross-play, & Local Multiplayer and Co-op

Fight through the dark fantasy base...

Martyrs Lane Review — Martyrs Lane (2021) Film Review from the 25th Annual Fantasia International Film Festival, a movie written and directed by Ruth Platt, starring Kiera Thompson, Denise Gough, Steven Cree, Hannah Rae, Julie Barclay, Catherine Terris, Lianne Harvey, Anastasia Hille, and Sienna Sayer. Layered in the decorous austerity of [...]

Continue reading: Film Review: Martyrs Lane: A Ghostly Tale of Grief [Fantasia 2021]...

Stars: Denise Gough, Sienna Sayer, Kiera Thompson | Written and Directed by Ruth Platt

Several years ago I took a gamble at Frightfest and booked a ticket for a movie in a small screen at maybe ten or eleven in the morning (the first film of the day). It was a low budget British horror that showed a teacher’s revenge on the pupils that caused him stress and pain in his job. It was a gritty, sometimes brutal but brilliant first feature film – The Lesson – from Ruth Platt. So when I saw her name as director on a film at this year’s Fantasia Festival, I knew I had to see it.

Not many movies scare me now. Not really, occasionally I get caught up in the very best horror movies and the tension is there and it happens but not all to often. Even the so called cheap jump...

"What's happening? Please go! I don't want you here!" Shudder has unveiled an official trailer for an indie supernatural fairytale horror film titled Martyrs Lane, the latest feature directed by actress / filmmaker Ruth Platt. Based on her own 2019 short film. This just premiered at the Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal this month. Leah, age 10, lives in a large vicarage, full of lost souls and the needy. In the day the house is bustling with people; at night it is dark, empty, a space for Leah's nightmares to creep into. A small, nightly visitor brings Leah comfort, but soon she will realize that her little visitor offers knowledge that might be very, very dangerous... This stars young actors Kiera Thompson & Sienna Sayer, with Denise Gough, Steven Cree, Hannah Rae, and Anastasia Hille. "Martyrs Lane is a deeply personal film that explores love and grief through a dark and captivating ghost story.

There’s a mystery afoot in Ruth Platt’s ghost film, Martyrs Lane. The film, a feature adaptation of the writer/director’s 2019 short of the same name, is less interested in traditional spectral hauntings than exploring grief and loss through the eyes of a little girl who doesn’t fully understand what’s going on. While there are still […]...

Sienna Sayer as Rachel – Martyr’s Lane Photo Credit: Shudder

Launching on AMC Networks’ Shudder on September 9th is Martyrs Lane.

Ahead of its Shudder launch, Martyrs Lane will World Premiere August 19th as part of the 2021 Fantasia International Film Festival and celebrate its UK Premiere August 20th with the Edinburgh International Film Festival.

In this unsettling ghost story, Leah, 10, lives in a large, old house with her family but can’t quite work out why her mother seems so distant. At night she is visited by a mysterious guest, who might be able to give her some answers. With a new challenge every night, Leah is rewarded with bits of knowledge that, when pieced together, threaten to shine a dangerous light on both the truth in her nightmares and of the world she lives in.

Written and directed by Ruth Platt, and expanded from her 2019 short film by the same name,...

AMC Networks genre streamer Shudder has dropped a first trailer for U.K.’s writer-director Ruth Platt’s “Martyrs Lane.” A tragic ghost story, the feature world premieres today at Canada’s Fantasia Festival before being released on Shudder on Sept. 9.

One day after its Fantasia bow, “Martyrs Lane” receives its U.K. premiere on Aug. 20 at the Edinburgh Film Festival.

A ghost story, yes – but one built on the pain of a child whose bedrock parental relation fails her – “Martyrs Lane” turns on Leah, 10, left to her own devices in a rambling vicarage.

Her mother’s too busy by day and distraught at night to attend much to her. Something is clearly wrong. Investigating why her mother sleeps clasping a golden locket, Leah begins to be visited by a cherubic-looking little girl wearing tawdry angel’s wings.

Drawing deep on a humanistic tradition of family relationship-driven films led by...

Martyrs Lane Photo: Fantasia International Film Festival

A haunting little fable about a lonely girl and her mysterious nightly visitor, Martyrs Lane is one of the highlights of this year’s Fantasia International Film Festival. It’s the third feature-length work directed by Ruth Platt, adapted from her 2019 short, and it hinges on a beautifully balanced pair of performances by child actors Kiera Thompson and Sienna Sayer. Early on in the festival we met up to discuss it. She explained that she had always wanted to make it as a feature, with the short serving as a proof of concept, and I asked her how she went about finding the right children to make it possible.

Being on a limited budget had a big impact on the casting process, she says. She couldn’t be like Michael Haneke, seeing 5,000 children to find the right ones for The White Ribbon, or like the makers of Norwegian.

Establishing itself as the most consistent buyers of top titles at Fantasia, Shudder, AMC Networks’ premium streaming service for horror, thriller and the supernatural, has acquired period horror feature “The Last Thing Mary Saw” ahead of its Aug. 15 world premiere at the Canadian genre fest.

Directed by Edoardo Vitaletti, “The Last Thing Mary Saw” will be released by Shudder in the North America, U.K., Ireland, Australia and New Zealand in 2022. The film will celebrate its U.K. premiere on Aug. 28 at London’s Frightfest.

The acquisition deal was negotiated by Emily Gotto and Samuel Zimmerman on behalf of Shudder and by XYZ Films and CAA Media Finance on behalf of the filmmaker.

Also written by Vitaletti, and the feature debut of the Tisch School of The Arts alum, “The Last Thing Mary Saw” begins in Southold, New York in 1843 as young Mary, blood trickling from behind the blindfold tied around her eyes,...

“Martyrs Lane,” the third feature from Ruth Platt (“The Lesson”), hits Fantasia with a double momentum: Bullish word of mouth, and a recent sale to AMC Networks genre streamer Shudder for North America, U.K., Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.

Produced by London’s Ipso Facto Productions, whose credits take in “Irina Palm” and Nicolas Winding Refn’s “Valhalla Rising,” the LevelK sales title is a ghost story but, like the best of that kind, much more.

Leah, 10, lives in a rambling vicarage with her parents and haughty older sister. But something’s very wrong. Her mother, who sleeps clasping a golden locket, hardly has any time for her. One morning, Leah spots the locket left on the bathroom shelf. She opens it, and steals what she finds inside, sparking the nightly visits of a cherubic looking little girl, sporting shabby angel wings.

“Martyr’s Lane” is described as an...

Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival got an early 25th birthday present in the form of James Gunn’s “Suicide Squad,” which will receive a special screening on Aug. 4, the day before Fantasia officially kicks off with the world premiere of Julien Knafo’s zombie thriller “Brain Freeze.” Gunn is a long-time friend of the fest, having first attended in 1997 before later returning for the Canadian premiere of his Marvel blockbuster “Guardians of the Galaxy.”

Fantasia also unveiled its second wave of features participating at this year’s festival, joining a raft of titles announced in May, and will announce the rest of its slate in late July along with details on several virtual events and this year’s juries.

New world premieres, joining the a six-pack announced last month, include Ruth Platt’s “Martyrs Lane,” Anna Zaytseva’s feature debut “#Blue_Whale,” Jonathan Rhys Meyers-starrer “Yakuza Princes” from filmmaker Vicente Amorim,...

The Fantasia International Film Festival is celebrating its 25th anniversary edition in style, with the announcement of a special screening of James Gunn's The Suicide Squad! We also have a look at more of their impressive lineup, as their second wave has been announced (with a third wave announcement still to come):

The Fantasia International Film Festival will launch its 25th edition this summer as an exciting virtual event composed of scheduled screenings, on-demand library, panels, and workshops, taking place from August 5th to August 25th. The festival will be accessible across Canada, geo-locked to the country, and will maintain unique film admittance quantities in line with the cinema experience.

Fantasia is thrilled to reveal a second wave of programming and will return in late July with a third and final line-up announcement, including features, virtual events, and juries.

In celebration of Fantasia’s 25th anniversary, the international film...

Exclusive: AMC Networks’ genre streamer Shudder has landed rights for North America, UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand to Martyrs Lane, the UK supernatural horror, in a deal with Danish sales company LevelK.

Ruth Platt (The Lesson) wrote and directed the movie, which stars Olivier Award-winner Denise Gough (Colette), Steven Cree (Outlaw King) and newcomers Kiera Thompson and Sienna Sayer.

LevelK has also pre-sold the title to Italy (Koch Media), Vietnam (Noori Pictures), Taiwan (Deep Picture Corporation) and India (Big Tree Entertainment). The deal was negotiated by Emily Gotto for Shudder with Debra Liang from LevelK. The film will be part of LevelK’s pre-Cannes market line-up.

Martyrs Lane centers on Leah, a young girl who lives in a large vicarage with her parents and older sister. During the day the house is bustling with people; at night it is dark, empty and a space for Leah’s nightmares to creep into.